Shape-shifter
by Starkage the dragon
Summary: Crimes of different kinds went up around the world after the world's hero, Sonic the Hedgehog, went missing and never heard of. The only evidences found are blue fur, feathers, or scales. It was hard to tell who because of the different evidence. but maybe its best that they didn't know who it was, and leave their senses working properly. Sonic and friends all belong to Sega.
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

So this is the end, huh. I never thought being stuck in a cold, hard prison cell with so little room to barely let me walk around, let alone run, if these thick and heavy chains weren't restraining me. The only light that lit the barren room was the dim light that hang loosely from the ceiling, giving off creaking noises as it swung, back and forth, back and forth, never stopping its constant rhythm it had set for itself. It swung just like the pendulum of a grandfather clock I saw as I had once stopped by an antique store. The metal sound of metal feet marching up and down the hallways became a steady rhythm that they too had set for themselves, just like the light, as if they each were attempting produce a rhythm of some sort for some music.

How long have I been here? Maybe four to five days. Maybe a few weeks. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if I was stuck in here for a month or two. I lost track of time a while ago. I can't even tell if it's daytime or nighttime, since there were no windows down here in this, dungeon, I believe that's what it is. It smells like one and looks like one, so how come it wouldn't be one of those famous dungeons that ancient people use to punish the criminals.

However, I wasn't one of those criminals. I was even an average citizen. I was Sonic the Hedgehog. That's right everyone, your favorite blue hedgehog here, well known for his speed, his quick wits, and an even quicker one when it came to comebacks, is sitting in a barren cell, possibly rotting himself away until his archenemy came to deal with him.

The clinking noise grew louder as they approached. Two thickly plated guard robots appeared on the right side of my jail cell. They were the same type that I failed to destroy. The same type that overpowered me. The same type that locked me into this infuriated cell. I glared at them as they walked by mindlessly. Their creator's symbol branded onto their shoulders flashed with light as they walked under the dim light. I continued to glare at the piece of walking metal until the exited my view, the only thing that gave me hints that they were still presence was the clanging of their metal feet on the concrete floor echoing throughout the hallways.

My expression softens as I fell limp in the chains. Why weren't my friends here to save me? I expected at least my best friend to come to my rescue. He of all people, well, maybe with an exception of her, would possibly close to having an heart attack and doing all he could to look for me after he notice I haven't come home yet. Have I been forgotten? I shook my head in frustration and sorrow the second that thought popped into my head. They wouldn't have forgotten me, they wouldn't have. I was too well known to be forgotten that quickly. Somebody was going to notice I was missing, right? The thought came rushing back through my head no matter how much I try to ignore it. I knew that even if I try to pretend that it would never happen, that it was clearly a possibility.

The sound of heavy metal sliding out and a metal door opening was easy to hear through the barren area as the marching of the robot faded away. The door slammed shut and the bar, I guess, was being slid back into its original place. I was now alone again. I looked around my cell again in an effort to spot some type of flaw in its seemingly perfect design, but there was no unnecessary cracks, no sunlight, no anything to show anything to allow any escape. My eyes dropped lazily, aching for sleep.

_Well maybe a few minutes wouldn't hurt anybody _I though as I slipped into a dreamless sleep.

BANG!

I jolted up as the door slammed open, my heart raced as I became excited, thinking my friends have finally came to rescue me. That thought was quickly shattered as the squeaky sound of rubber approached my cell, followed by the clinking of metal. It grew round before he stopped in front of my prison bars, an evil grin spread on his face. He wore his usual outfit, a red jacket with yellow buttons that ran down the center, black pants, black boots, and a pair of blue goggles that hid his eyes which were possibly at this moment flashing with an evil glint to match his smile. The long, orange mustache twitched slightly above the mouth as if it was alive or he was excited.

Without saying a word, is robot to the left opened the cell door and approached me, followed by the other robot. That robot grabbed my right shoulder as the other one undid my chains before grabbing my left and hoisting me up off the dusty ground. Smart bots.

The man snickered as he viewed the scene in delight as I struggled to get out of the robots' grip with the little energy I had, but failed. I was surprised however, that he did not do his famous evil Santa Claus laugh, which I was thankful for. Sheesh, he was giving me a headache with that. The bots carried me out of the dungeon, following their egg-shaped creator as we walked down several corridors before entering a lab. I think it's a lab, it has all the gadgets that are in an average lab and I should now since I have one located in secret in a forest, but let's keep that between us okay. Computers lined the walls of white room as a white table was located in the middle of it. I mean the dead-middle of the room. The same type of table where patients, or in this case subjects get strapped onto for surgery, or in this case, an experiment by a mad doctor.

I struggled yet again to escape, but instead was relentlessly strapped onto the table. I lifted my head to see the him grabbing a needle filled with reddish-green liquid. my eyes widened, if there was one thing that I hate more than water, its needles…

…and being tested on by a mad scientist.

"What's wrong, Sonic, you looked worried." he said as he flicked the needle, making small drops of the liquid splash onto the floor and onto me, making me even more worried.

"Yeah, it's not like every day I get strapped to a table and have somebody experiment on you Eggman. I already too busy kicking your butt every day." I replied with my famous smirk crawling across my peach muzzle. "Don't expect that just because you take me out, doesn't mean you win. you'll be stopped either way." He laughed in response, making me confused.

"Who said this will kill you?" My eyes widened even more than before, "That's right. This little serum will make you work for me. You'll have no free will with this." I tugged at my straps as he stalked forward, the needle was ready to inject me with the liquid. "This will be the end of your heroic days, sonic the Hedgehog. Oh wait, that's not your real name isn't it."

"What are you talking about?" I stuttered. He laughed.

"Don't try to hide it. I know everything about you now." Before I could say anything else, he injected the serum into me. My vision blurred as the room started to spin. My head soon fell onto the metal table as unconscious took over. I was able to think of one last thought as it happened.

_How did he find out?_


	2. Rouge has Competition

_Rouge has Competition_

Tails paced himself in the small two-story house where he once lived along with his best friend and older brother, Sonic. Bags could easily be seen under the fox's eyes from lack of sleep and the discomfort that something bad has happened to Sonic. A day or a week was okay for the blue hedgehog, since everyone knows he does things on his own permission and would possibly never tell anyone about it, but for four months, even Shadow doesn't stay missing that long, either because of a mission from G.U.N. or an attack from Eggman that they need his help with, or even the occasional time when he just appear to hang out with Rouge the Bat, his partner and well-known thief on Mobius. Nobody knows why, some says he and the bat are secretly dating, others says she possibly bugged him to a point where the black hedgehog agrees. When Tails went to personally asked about the subject, he just said that she was the closest friend he had since Maria. The name was whispered in a hush voice, since he was still grieving, though less after the Ark incident, about the blonde hair girl.

Tail plopped himself onto the couch as he grabbed a picture framed which contained a picture of him and Sonic after a few days that they met, tears of worry welled up in his eye as he stared at the picture of the blue hedgehog doing his famous thumbs up pose, his other hand was wrapped around the fox in an embracing hug. Tails closed his eyes, trying to keep the tears from escaping and rolling down his eyes as he placed the picture back on its place on the coffee table, which sat in front of the large TV. _I hope he didn't get himself killed. _Tails dismiss the thought, thinking about how Eggman's gap between his attacks and the disappearance of Sonic were related. _If he did get killed, he would have attacked already, or is does he want us to find him to get ourselves killed. _Any other possible thoughts were gone as a knocking sounded on the door.

"Tails turn on the TV and open the door." a high voice yelled. Tails quietly did so as he was soon greeted with a pink hedgehog with a red dress and matching red boots. On top of her head was a red headband. Yellow cuff rings were placed near her wrist and white gloves. Behind her stood a red echidna, which looked half interested, half grumpy in the situation., possibly wanting to do his guardian job of protecting the giant green emerald known as the Master Emerald, but wanted to hear the news, too.

"Would you stop blocking the door and let us in." he replied. Tails let out a sheepish smile as he moved over to the couch before grabbing the TV remote off the table.

"What's so important now?" he asked as he pushed the power button, causing the TV to whir to life as it tried to produce an image on its black screen.

"Another jewelry store got stolen from!" the pink hedgehog exclaimed as she sat next to the fox on the couch. The echidna took the alternative and sat in the relaxing chair.

"Crimes gone up since, Sonic, went missing, Amy, so what's the big deal about this one?"

"They finally got some evidence from the thief." the echidna replied as the picture of the Gem Shop appeared on the screen with the reporter standing near it.

_**This is Scarlet Garcia here at the crime scene of the Gem shop. Last night, it is reported that the famous attraction, the blue chaos emerald has been stolen with no trace, after discovering the one in the case was indeed a fake. Investigators are searching for evidences of the criminal, but the thief has somehow programmed a well encrypted video into the security tapes. The only evidence found so far at the scene is a blue feather. More information will be released as we find more evidences. This is Scarlet Garcia signing out.**_

"That was supposed to be my emerald." a voiced whined, causing Tails to jump. He turned to see a white bat in a black jump suit with a pink heart shape on her chest. She also wore white high heel boots with pink cuffs and a pink heart near at the toes along with elbow-length white gloves with pink cuffs, blue eye shadow, and some lipsticks. She was currently smacking her lips as she placed the lipsticks back into her pocket she glanced at the two-tailed fox. "What, next time you don't want someone to sneak into your house, close the door?" Her head tilted to the wide open door. Tails rolled his eyes as he got up to open the door. "Didn't Sonic ever teach you it's impolite to treat a lady like that?"

"Well maybe you're not a lady, Rouge." the echidna replied with a snicker as the fox shut the door.

"Oh shut it Knuckie." the echidna growled with irritation as the bat said the nickname she calls him.

"Its Knuckles, batgirl, get it right." Knuckles growled as he slumped into the chair, arms crossed as he glared at the bat, "Why are you here anyway."

"I thought I could use your help tracking down the thief."

"Why couldn't you do it yourself, you're a treasure hunter, right?" Knuckles eyebrow rose as he replied.

"This is no ordinary thief. His name is Gust the Falcon. He's the very same one that stole the emerald, and before you say anything," she quickly replied as she caught the echidna mouth twitching to say something, "I was there that night, wanting the same prize. Legends' says that he has the intelligent that possibly outmatches you and Eggman." She pointed to Tails as she spoke, "Some say he started his life as a thief when he was only two, others say he was one, and very few says when he was only nine months old. I had very few encounters with him, you can also say he was the personification of thievery, just like most says Sonic's the personification of wind. He was every thief's dream of ever being. Then, one day he vanished, never to be heard of again. Now he's back, but he changed.. He has a glaze look in his eye, as if he has no control."

"Maybe we could find out what's wrong with him, but first we have to catch him, so Rouge," Amy replied as she looked at the white bat, "you're going to have competition."


End file.
